Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
    • Israeli Air Force warplanes bomb the Port of Latakia, Syria's main seaport. At least five explosions are reported, with a Syrian military official saying several missiles struck the container area of the port. It is the first Israeli attack on the civilian facility. (The Times of Israel) (Reuters)
• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Four civilians are killed and four more wounded in a motorcycle bombing near a hospital in Basra, Iraq. (Alaraby)

• The United Arab Emirates says weekends in the country will take place Saturday to Sunday, effective January 1. (CNBC)

• 2021 Semeru eruption
  • The death toll from the Semeru volcano eruption in East Java, Indonesia, increases to 34. (BBC News)
• Gitega prison fire
  • At least 38 people are killed and 69 more injured during a fire at an overcrowded prison in Gitega, Burundi. (BBC News)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
      • President Alberto Fernández receives his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. (Radio A. Chile)

• A policeman kills six people, including his wife, and wounds two more during a killing spree in Kabete, Kenya, before committing suicide. (Al Jazeera)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Tigray War
  • The Ethiopian military says that they have recaptured the strategic Amharan towns of Dessie and Kombolcha from rebel forces. (Al Jazeera)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia
      • Croatia reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two people who had not travelled abroad. (N1)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy begins to implement the Super Green Pass, which allows a person to enter theatres, cinemas, music venues, sports events, restaurants and bars if they are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 within the past six months. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports its first 10 cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a group of citizens who travelled from southern Africa. (RFE/RL)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • It is announced that over 50% of India's eligible adult population is now fully vaccinated. India is targeting 100% COVID-19 adult vaccination by December 31. (Khaleej Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
      • Nepal reports its first two cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 71-year-old Nepali national and a 66-year-old foreigner. (The Himalayan Times)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York
      • COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
        • Outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all private-sector employees, which will take effect on December 27. (The New York Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut
      • Connecticut reports its first case of the SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant. (WTIC-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    • COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
      • Argentina approves the usage of the single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine as a standalone vaccine and as a booster dose. (Reuters)
    • Argentina reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 38-year-old fully vaccinated person who traveled from South Africa on November 30. (Anadolu Agency)

• 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis
  • Belarus–European Union relations, Belarus–United Kingdom relations
    • Belarus bans airlines and imports of certain goods from the European Union and United Kingdom in retaliation for sanctions imposed on the country by Western nations. (ABC News)

• In Madagascar, twenty people, including two French nationals, are charged with crimes including criminal conspiracy, criminal association, rebellion against the president and possession of illegal weapons, for allegedly plotting to kill president Andry Rajoelina. (Reuters)

• 2021 Solomon Islands unrest
  • Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare survives a no-confidence vote in the National Parliament after his management of the riots. (Reuters)
• Karl Nehammer is sworn in as the new Chancellor of Austria after the resignation of Alexander Schallenberg on December 2. (ABC News)

• 2022 Winter Olympics
  • The United States announces a formal diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The White House says that no official delegation will be sent to the Games due to concerns regarding China's human rights record. (BBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Apure clashes
  • Venezuelan intelligence officials announce the death of Hernán Darío Hernández, the leader of a FARC dissident group, after an ambush carried out by a commando of the Venezuelan Armed Forces. Hernández was responsible for the 2003 El Nogal Club bombing that killed 36 people and injured over 200 others. (El Tiempo)
• Mali War
  • Militants bomb two UN camps in Gao, with no fatalities. (Voice of America)
• 2021 Niger attacks
  • Hundreds of insurgents on motorcycles attack an international military base in Tillabéri. Seventy-nine of the rebels and 29 soldiers are killed during the battle. (Deutsche Welle)
• Indian soldiers of the Assam Rifles mistakenly open fire on a group of miners returning home from work in Nagaland, believing them to be militants. Thirteen miners and a soldier are killed, with the soldier and seven miners being killed in a subsequent confrontation with angry locals. (BBC News)

• 2021 Semeru eruption
  • The death toll from yesterday's eruption of the Semeru volcano in East Java, Indonesia, increases to 14, with 56 others injured. (BBC News)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
    • The Therapeutic Goods Administration provisionally approves the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. Vaccination rollout for this age group will begin on January 10, once ATAGI gives its recommendation. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives
    • Maldives reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a tourist that arrived in the country. (Raajje)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, COVID-19 vaccination in Saudi Arabia
    • Saudi Arabia grants the approval for people vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to enter the country beginning from January 1, 2022 in a move that will enable Muslims to take part in religious pilgrimage. (CNA)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal
    • Senegal reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 58-year-old man who attended an international meeting in Dakar with 300 people from different countries on November 24 and 25. (Khaleej Times)

• 2021 Bathurst 1000
  • Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth win the 2021 Bathurst 1000 in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. (ABC News Australia)

Arts and culture

• COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, List of events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes cancels the city's New Year's Eve celebrations on Copacabana Beach due to the worldwide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Sky News)

• 2021 Semeru eruption
  • One person is killed and 41 others are injured as the Semeru volcano erupts in East Java, Indonesia. (BBC News)
• Twenty-three people drown after the bus they are travelling in plunges into the Enziu River in Mwingi, Kenya. (BBC News)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • Former queen Beatrix of the Netherlands tests positive for COVID-19. (AP)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Romania
      • Romania reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two citizens who travelled from South Africa on November 30. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Chile
    • Chile reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a fully vaccinated foreigner who travelled from Ghana on November 25. (ABC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the Cook Islands
    • The Cook Islands reports its first case of COVID-19 in a 10-year-old boy who travelled on a repatriation flight from New Zealand with his family on December 1 and is in quarantine. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea reports a record 5,352 new cases and 70 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 467,907 and the nationwide death toll to 3,809. (Yonhap News Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
    • Zambia reports its first three cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two citizens who travelled internationally and another citizen who had no travel history. (Khaleej Times)

• Pakistan–Saudi Arabia relations
  • The Pakistani Minister of Finance announces that the country has received a $3 billion (11.3B SAR, ₨.530B) one-year loan from Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

• An improvised explosive device is discovered in the personal vehicle of a Turkish police officer who was to be part of the security detail for a rally in Siirt featuring Turkish President Recep Erdoğan. The bomb was discovered before the officer had left for the rally, and was defused by bomb squads. (Bloomberg)

• 2021 Gambian presidential election
  • Gambians go to the polls to elect their president. Approximately 960,000 people are eligible to vote. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Mali War
    • 2021 Mali bus massacre
      • Militants attack a bus carrying civilians in Bankass, Mali, killing the driver, before setting it on fire and killing 31 passengers. The majority of the victims are women who were on their way to work at the local market. (BBC News)
• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Seven Peshmerga fighters and three civilians are killed by Islamic State gunmen in a village in Makhmour, Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. (Al Jazeera)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
      • Two hippos at Antwerp Zoo tested positive for COVID-19 in Antwerp, Belgium. (Deutsche Welle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • Germany surpasses six million cases of COVID-19. (Urdu Point)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
      • Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces that due to fears of the Omicron variant, from December 7 until January 9, nightclubs will be closed and restaurants and bars will only be allowed to offer table service for groups of no more than six people. Additionally, indoor services can only operate at 50% capacity and families can only have visitors from three other households. (Sky News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
      • Slovakia reports a record 15,278 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 712,749. (AP)
    • Europe surpasses 75 million cases of COVID-19. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • Malaysia reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 19-year-old student who travelled from South Africa on November 19 and is in quarantine. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in an unvaccinated woman who travelled from Nigeria. (Ada Derana)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    • Mexico reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 51-year-old man who travelled from South Africa. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
      • South Africa surpasses three million cases of COVID-19. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
      • Tunisia reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a Congolese man who travelled from Istanbul. (Arab News)

• France–United Arab Emirates relations
  • French president Emmanuel Macron meets UAE crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed at Expo 2020 in Dubai. The two men sign a major arms deal between the two nations. (The National News)

• Oxford High School shooting
  • The parents of Ethan Crumbley, James and Jennifer Crumbley, accused of terrorism and murder in the shooting deaths and injuries at Ethan's school, are charged with manslaughter for their role in the incident. They are caught after fleeing the police. (CNN)
• Islam in Kosovo
  • A Kosovar man is arrested for terrorism due to his ties to the Islamist al-Nusra Front in Syria. (The Public's Radio)
• Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina arrest seven suspected war criminals in Bijeljina and Sokolac due to their reported massacre of 22 civilians during the Bosnian Genocide. (CTV News)

• Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration Eduardo Cabrita resigns after a series of scandals, including an incident where his official car was involved in a car accident that killed a highway worker. (AP)

• Magnus Carlsen defeats challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi in Game 6 of the 2021 World Chess Championship in a marathon 136 move game. It is the first decisive result in a regulation World Chess Championship game in more than 5 years and is also the longest game in World Chess Championship history. (The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Ten oil workers are killed and another is injured during an ISIL attack on a bus in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. (Reuters)
• 2021 Solomon Islands unrest
  • The New Zealand Defence Force and Police travel to Honiara, Solomon Islands, in order to help stabilize the country and maintain peace after days of rioting, looting and unrest that killed three people. (RNZ)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Karnataka
        • India reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two foreigners who travelled to Karnataka. (NDTV)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      • The Philippine Department of Health announces that all adults over the age of 18 years can receive a booster dose at least six months after receiving their second dose or a least three months after receiving their single dose. (Rappler)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
      • Singapore reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two fully vaccinated people, age 44 and 41, who returned from Johannesburg. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea reports a record for the second consecutive day of 5,266 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 457,612. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
      • Finland reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a person who travelled from Sweden. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
      • Greece reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a man who travelled from South Africa to Crete. (Ekathimerini)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 drug development
      • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves GSK and Vir Biotechnology's sotrovimab antibody treatment, after a clinical trial found that the treatment reduced the risk of hospital admission and death by 79% in vulnerable adults if administered within five days of symptoms developing. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota
      • Minnesota reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a person who traveled from New York City. (KSTP-TV)

• Algeria–Morocco relations, Morocco–Turkey relations
  • Morocco buys six Bayraktar TB2 drones from Baykar amid rising tensions between Morocco and Algeria. (Morocco World News)

• A group of four former Serbian state security officers, including Radomir Marković, are found guilty of the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija. Two have been sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Marković and the remaining officer will serve a 30-year sentence. (Balkan Insight)

• 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations
  • Alan Tudge stands down as Minister for Education and Youth after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Tudge from a former staffer who claimed that the two were involved in an extramarital affair. (The Guardian)

• 2021 Major League Baseball lockout
  • Major League Baseball implements a lockout after the collective bargaining agreement they had with the Major League Baseball Players Association expired yesterday. This is the league's first labor stoppage since the players' strike of 1994 and 1995. (ESPN)
• 2021–22 NBA season
  • In basketball, the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 152–79, making it the largest blowout in the history of the National Basketball Association. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2021 Afghanistan–Iran clashes
  • Clashes occur between the Taliban and Iran on the Afghanistan–Iran border after Iranian farmers crossed the border. (Bloomberg)
• Mexican drug war
  • 2021 Tula prison break
    • Armed cartel members break into a prison in Tula, Hidalgo using vehicles, detonating several car bombs. Nine inmates are freed, including a local drug lord. Two law enforcement officers are injured. (The Guardian)
• Two soldiers are killed and others are wounded during an attack at a security post by Islamic extremists in Porga, Benin. It is the second confirmed Islamic extremist attack in the country's history. (Yahoo News)

• Bagwai boat disaster
  • At least 29 people, mostly schoolchildren, drown after an overloaded boat capsizes in Bagwai, Kano State, Nigeria. (BBC News)

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
      • Japan begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers amid growing concerns over the Omicron variant that has already been detected in the country. (The Independent)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
      • Saudi Arabia reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a citizen who travelled from North Africa. (Al Arabiya English)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
      • South Korea reports a record 5,123 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 452,530. (CNBC)
      • South Korea reports its first five cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a fully vaccinated couple who travelled from Nigeria and later tested positive, along with two of their family members and a friend. (The Straits Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
      • The United Arab Emirates reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a citizen who travelled from Africa. (Gulf News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Andorra
      • The Andorran government announces a ten-day quarantine for all travelers coming from southern Africa countries. (Diari d'Andorra)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
      • Denmark reports a record 5,120 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Yahoo! News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland
      • Iceland reports its first case of the Omicron variant. (Morgunblaðið)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
      • Ireland reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a person who recently travelled from southern Africa. (The Irish Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Italy reports 103 deaths of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, making it the deadliest toll since June 8. (Il Sole 24ore)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, COVID-19 vaccination in Poland
      • Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki receives a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (The New Indian Express)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in California
        • The United States reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a person who travelled from South Africa to California. (CNN)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, COVID-19 drug development
      • Mexican health regulator COFEPRIS approves the emergency use of Eli Lilly and Co's injectable combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 cases in people over the age of 12 years who weigh at least . (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana
      • Ghana reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a traveller who arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra. (The EastAfrican)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
      • Zimbabwe announces a nine-hour curfew and compulsory 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving in the country, to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, becoming the first country in southern Africa to enact such restrictions. (VOA)
• Aftermath of COP26
  • Micronesian president David W. Panuelo condemns the outcome of the climate summit, stating that industrialized nations must increase their commitments in order to help countries switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. (Reuters)

• 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations
  • Former Attorney-General of Australia Christian Porter announces he will retire from politics following sexual assault allegations published earlier in the year, and controversy surrounding his reliance on a blind trust in a legal battle against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over their reporting of the allegations. (The Guardian)